11+ hour, 11+ min ago   (180+ words) Japan’s rice harvest for 2026 is estimated at 7.4 million tons, down about 1% from the previous year’s 7.47 million tons, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday. The forecast is relatively high despite concerns about the impact of prolonged rain in September. With supply seen…...

11+ hour, 19+ min ago   (334+ words) Oil tankers with links to Japan appear to be picking up Middle East cargoes directly in the region once again, a tentative but significant return for the first time since the war began in February that speaks to soaring freight…...

13+ hour, 28+ min ago   (154+ words) The Japan Times Two years ago, when Japan embarked on its path toward policy normalization, I asked whether the country was ready for a “world with interest.” It was a question many were asking as the Asian nation…...

13+ hour, 49+ min ago   (168+ words) Bangkok – The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised its economic growth projection for Japan to 0.7% for 2026, up 0.1 percentage point from its July forecast. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook report cited “fiscal support measures partly cushioning the impact from higher energy…...

19+ hour, 14+ min ago   (154+ words) The Japan Times Ripe mangosteen and rambutan hang unpicked from trees in eastern Thailand, where a shortage of migrant workers is forcing growers to decide which crops are valuable enough to harvest and which will be left to rot.For…...

16+ hour, 51+ min ago   (97+ words) The Japan Times Number of multiple-debt borrowers in Japan hits 12-year high A growing number of people in Japan are carrying debts from multiple lenders, including consumer finance companies. According to Japan Credit Information Reference Center, which manages individuals’ credit…...

16+ hour, 36+ min ago   (402+ words) Japanese food manufacturers are coming up with plant-based alternatives for various seafood products in a move that could widen food options as their supplies are not impacted by poor fish catches. Kanetetsu Delica Foods in Hyogo Prefecture, which manufactures nerimono…...

18+ hour, 9+ min ago   (163+ words) The Japan Times AI investment props up global growth, but war and debt threaten outlook, IMF says BANGKOK – The global economy will still manage to top 3% real gross domestic product growth this year as strong artificial intelligence investment offsets the…...

19+ hour, 28+ min ago   (195+ words) The growth of corporate goods prices in Japan has eased again while staying at elevated levels, indicating that inflationary pressure from input costs may have peaked for now and suggesting less urgency for the Bank of Japan to raise interest…...

19+ hour, 53+ min ago   (271+ words) Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama is set to become chair of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s Development Committee, which would mark the first time a Japanese official is appointed to the role. “I would like to draw on Japan’s…...